Wonderful Tonight
by iworkwithpens
Summary: Today is April 20, 2013. It has been three years since the BP/Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf Coast. That means it has been three years since Mackenzie walked back into that newsroom and back into Will's life. How do they commemorate the occasion? A joint writing project by myself and writingalone.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Notes: After struggling a bit with writer's block these last few days, fellow author writingalone graciously suggested a new fic idea. Today is the third anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon/BP oil spill in the Gulf Coast region. And thus, by extension, today would be the third anniversary of NewsNight. We thought we would commemorate the occasion with a little joint writing project. Enjoy our effort!**

"Mac? Mackenzie?" Will croaked hoarsely as he woke up alone in their bed. Where the hell was she, he wondered? He was usually the one forcing her into the shower in the morning. He looked over at the alarm clock and blinked wearily. It wasn't even seven o'clock yet! And on a Saturday morning no less! So, why the hell wasn't she curled up into a little ball, hiding under the covers?

"Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday dear NewsNight! Happy Birthday to you!" He heard the horribly off-key warbling before he could actually see her making her way down the hallway toward their bedroom. But suddenly, there she was, face aglow in the candlelight spilling off a very small birthday cake.

"What the hell is that?!" he said, pointing at the small plastic figurine sitting atop a rather gooey looking chocolate concoction.

"It's the Deepwater Horizon Billy! Happy Anniversary!" she shouted gleefully.

He couldn't help himself, he burst out laughing. Mackenzie had apparently doused a premade bakery cake in chocolate syrup and stuck on a miniature oil platform as the piece de resistance.

"Let me guess…the Hershey's syrup is supposed to be the oil slick?" he asked.

"Well, yes!" she exclaimed, as she stood back and admired her handiwork. "Blow out the candles Will. It's our anniversary…or birthday…or something!"

He did as instructed and blew out the three candles that surrounded Mackenzie's makeshift Gulf Oil spill tableau.

"Why are we celebrating a natural disaster Mac?" he asked, sticking his finger into some of the chocolate syrup and watching as she licked it off.

"Because it also happens to be the day you and I got back together."

"No, it's not. We didn't get back together for another year and a half Mackenzie. I believe we settled for not killing each other that day" he reminded her.

"Well, it _led_ to us getting back together, so I thought it was important to mark the occasion. Did you make a wish Billy?" she asked, practically shaking with excitement.

"Was I supposed to? What does one wish for when celebrating a culture of corporate greed that leads to the desecration of millions of acres of wetlands?" he asked rhetorically.

"Will! I am not celebrating the oil spill itself. Jesus, stop trying to burst my bubble! I am trying to celebrate the birth of a true rarity in journalism these days: a group of people who do the news because they love it and who want desperately to bring the truth to the American electorate in a way that informs, elucidates, and educates. I am trying to celebrate the birth of our baby…NewsNight!" she exclaimed.

"And of our being in the same room without killing each other" he said sagely.

"Ok, fine. And of our being in the same room without killing each other" she reluctantly agreed. He laughed and pulled her into his side for a hug and kissed her temple as he looked at the cake still delicately perched in her hands.

"I love it Kenz. Happy Anniversary to you too" he whispered.

"So, what did you get me?" she asked.

He rolled his eyes. "How exactly was I supposed to know to get you anything? I would have sent my manager out if I knew this was going to be a yearly celebration. Is this the bronze or paper anniversary? I can never keep these things straight. "

She slapped him playfully on his arm and attempted to shove some cake into his mouth.

"No way, sweetheart. We didn't go without killing each other for 3 years just so I could die from food poisoning now."

"But it's store bought!" she shrieked, exasperated. "All I did was pour some chocolate syrup on it."

He laughed at her. "You'd think it wouldn't be this easy to get you riled up after all these years, but it is, and I love you for it. Now sit that cute ass of yours in bed and let's have some cake and coffee for breakfast."

"Does this mean you really _don't_ have an anniversary present for me?" she asked, licking icing off her fingers and sipping coffee.

"Mackenzie, eat your cake and stop trolling for gifts."

She pouted silently and it took everything in him not to laugh. "Hurry up and finish, we're going out today" he told her.

"Where are we going?" she asked eagerly.

"Well, you told me I needed new ties and we have no food in the house and…" he trailed off at the crestfallen look on her face.

"That's it?! We're going _grocery shopping_?" she said in abject horror.

"Did you think the groceries magically appeared in our refrigerator Mackenzie?"

"Yes actually I did. How the hell would I know Will! We're barely ever here and when we are you do the cooking. I don't really pay much attention to what's in the refrigerator!" she shouted.

"Well then, today will be a learning experience for you won't it? You enjoy learning new things Mackenzie. Consider _this_ my anniversary gift to you" he said enthusiastically.

"Grocery shopping is your anniversary gift to me? Please Will, when will these extravagant presents come to an end?" she asked sarcastically.

"Get in the shower please smart ass!" he laughed as he pushed her from their bed. When she was safely out of hearing range, he picked up his cell phone and called his secret weapon.

"Hello?" the voice answered after just two rings.

"Sloan? Is everything ready? Have you talked to everyone?" he asked, ducking down the hallway and into his study.

"Holy hell man, calm down! It's a surprise party, not the invasion of Normandy! I've got it handled Will" she assured him.

"Says the woman who almost got me shot on a blind date."

"Hey, that was nearly two years ago. Are you ever going to let me live that down?" Sloan asked.

"Maybe, depends on how you do tonight."

"But no pressure, right Will?"

"No pressure at all Sloan. Just don't fuck it up."

"See you at eight o'clock then" she replied and hung up the phone.

Mackenzie padded into the kitchen, and poured herself another cup of coffee. "Can't I just stay here and read the paper while you go to the grocery store? You know I don't care what you buy, and there is some work I'd like to catch up on."

Will gave Mac a kiss on the cheek. "Nope. If I have to go clothes shopping, you have to accompany me to the grocery store."

"This doesn't seem fair. YOU need clothes because before you met me you were wearing the same five pairs of pants and sweaters, and god-awful ties at events. I do not need to have any food in the house. All I need is coffee and tea, and I can order that on the internet and have it delivered."

"MAC! I am getting in the shower. I have never known you to want to give up clothes shopping. Is everything okay?"

"I'm fine, Will. Just would have been nice to have a gift today, that's all," she said, half-pouting, half-grinning.

"I'll buy you an 'I Heart New York' t-shirt on the street. Good enough?"

"Wow, you're really going all out. Fine. I'll go, but only so I can watch you take your clothes off. "

Will laughed all the way to the shower, shaking his head, and mumbling about the absolutely insane woman that he adored.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Notes: Writingalone and iworkwithpens bring you another chapter of Mackenzie punishing Will for forgetting their anniversary…or did he? What does he have planned? What does Sloan know about all this? And can Will survive an entire day of Mackenzie's fury? Let's find out!**

By 10:30 they were making the rounds through the shops of the Upper East Side. As Mackenzie trudged through Saks Fifth Avenue, Lonny never far behind them, Will had to stifle his laughter. She was like a petulant child when disappointed and right now her dissatisfaction was radiating off her in waves.

"Which one Mac?" he asked, holding up two ties against a white dress shirt.

"Huh? Oh, both are nice" she mumbled and smiled wanly.

"So, I should get both then?" he asked, trying to catch her eye.

"Sure, fine, whatever" she said, and took the ties off toward the cash register to pay.

"Who pissed in her cornflakes?" Lonny asked as Mac walked away.

"Nobody" Will replied and then reassessed his answer when Lonny shook his head in disagreement.

"Ok, I pissed in her cornflakes. Are you happy now? I have a plan to fix it though" Will assured the man.

"Does this have anything to do with the little get-together you're planning tonight?" Lonny questioned.

"Shh! Quiet! She'll hear you! And how the hell do you know about that?" Will whispered harshly.

"What? Do you think I just guess where you'll be every day? I'm your bodyguard, genius. Of course I know where you're going tonight!"

"Yeah, well she doesn't! So stop talking about it!" Will pleaded.

"What thrilling event did you have planned for us next? New socks? Underwear? I could always buy some new stockings while we're here" Mackenzie said unenthusiastically as she returned, shopping bag in hand.

"We can go get stockings if you need them" Will replied helpfully.

"Will! Is this really it?! Is this how we're going to spend our Saturday? God, it's bad enough you forgot our anniversary, but now we're going to spend our weekend stalking the aisles of department stores for bargains on boxer shorts?!" she shouted hysterically.

"Would you please stop screaming before we're on the front page of the Post tomorrow?" he pleaded, pulling her into a dressing room, where passersby couldn't stare at them.

"I'm sorry. I'm not very good company today. Can we just go home now, please Will?"

Shit, he really was starting to feel like he should just tell her the whole damn story. She looked so adorably pitiful.

"Let's go to Ayza's. You love it there. We'll get you a glass of wine and a piece of chocolate and you'll forget that I ever forgot our third anniversary…or birthday…or whatever the hell it is" he reassured the weary woman in his arms.

"Fine. Let's go to Ayza's. But you're not getting off that easy. You're buying me lunch or a martini or a fucking diamond because I refuse to be reduced to _grocery shopping_ on my forgotten anniversary…or birthday…or whatever the hell it is as you so eloquently put it" she muttered and allowed him to lead her from the room.

The hostess at Mac's favorite wine bar greeted them, immediately recognizing Will, and began to guide the pair to a private table near the back of the restaurant. But Will assured her they would be fine at the bar, and he settled in to watch the news on one of the televisions suspended in the corner.

"Why didn't you just take me to a sports bar if you wanted to stare at the TV throughout lunch? You are an idiot, you know that Will?" she railed at him as they took their seats. "Bartender, I need a chocolate martini, as soon as humanly possible. And this jackass next to me will be having a diet coke."

"Diet coke, Mac? At a wine bar?" he moaned.

"Yes, you are not endearing yourself to me today William, so you don't get to drink. I, on the other hand, will be getting sloshed. Apparently, I am celebrating an important day in our lives alone…so this is a celebratory pity party for one" she intoned as she took a deep gulp of the drink that had been placed before her.

"Damn it Mac! Don't be so overly dramatic! Although it is somewhat enjoyable to watch" he snickered, watching her chest rise and fall as she tried to take deep breaths to calm herself.

"Don't try to change the subject" she muttered into her rapidly draining martini glass, and then reached toward the plate of chocolate covered fruit that had just been placed before her.

"Mackenzie, I took you shopping, which you normally love. I am plying you with martinis and chocolates. And I was going to let you pick out whatever you wanted me to cook for dinner" Will told her, as he took her hand in his and began rubbing his thumb across her fingers. "You sprung this on me, honey. Could you please just _let it go_ so we can enjoy _being_ together instead of moping around about the _anniversary_ of us being together?" he pleaded.

Mackenzie put her martini glass down and turned to him. "You're right. I'm sorry. I shouldn't expect you to remember every detail of our lives, despite your fucking photographic memory" she said sarcastically, thumping his forehead with her thumb and forefinger.

"I give up" he mumbled, and watched her twirl the martini glass around and around on the bar.

"Good. Then let's go home" she grumbled, as she nearly toppled off the bar stool.

"Mac!" he shouted as he reached out to steady her.

"I'm fine" she huffed and headed for the door. "Are you coming?"

"You are going to regret this later Mackenzie" he said quietly to himself.

"What?" she asked sharply.

"Nothing dear."

For hours on end that day, Will watched as Mackenzie fluctuated between mildly annoyed and overtly hostile. He tried to remember that there would be a reward for his patience. She would love the party and would be thrilled to have her entire NewsNight family gathered around her to celebrate…if only they could make it through the day without killing each other.

Just then, he heard her stomp through the living room for the third time in the last hour.

"Were you looking for something Mac? Or just trying to see if you could wear a path in the hardwood floor?" he asked her.

"I was looking for my…" she trailed off, clearly flustered that she had entered the room without a plan.

"Phone?" he said chuckling, as he held up said item.

"Yes, thank you" she grunted, plucking the blackberry from his hand and stomping back toward their bedroom. He counted to ten, and sure enough, there she was again.

"What did you forget this time?" he asked.

"I'm going out for a while" she said, as she rushed through the room, grabbed her coat and purse and headed for the door.

Shit! He hadn't planned for this eventuality. What happened if she wasn't back in time for the party?

"Where are you going?" he asked, slightly panicked.

"To celebrate my anniversary!" she shouted, and slammed the door behind her.

"Ok, time for Plan B" he mumbled to himself and hit speed dial on his cell phone.

"She's pissed at me. Where would she go?" he shouted without even greeting the person he had just called.

"Well hello to you too Will" Sloan replied.

"Sloan! We don't have time for small talk! She thinks I forgot our anniversary and she's taken off. We could be short one key guest at the party tonight if you don't know where she is!" he nearly screamed.

"How the hell did you two ever survive without me? Jesus! Give me twenty minutes and I'll call you back" Sloan snapped, and hung up the phone.

Will paced frantically. He tried calling Mac…to no avail. It went straight to voicemail. He tried calling Sloan every five minutes until she finally answered the phone and shouted "if you aren't going to leave me alone long enough to find her then what the hell was the point of calling me?"

He stared at the phone in his hand, listening to the dial tone blaring back at him, and had to admit she had a point. Calm down, he told himself. Sloan had been helping to plan this for weeks. She would get Mackenzie there if she had to tie her up and drag her kicking and screaming.

Meanwhile, across town, Sloan pushed her way into Cutie-cles and found her friend right where she knew she would be. Settling in for a manicure with Ba Lei.

"So, is this how you intend to spend all your anniversaries with Will? Because I've got to tell you, there are better ways to celebrate your love than picking up an opportunistic infection at a nail salon" Sloan asked, as she settled into a chair next to her friend.

"Ow!" Mackenzie shrieked as she received a swift poke into her nail bed.

"Sorry, didn't mean anything by that" Sloan apologized to the manicurist she had just offended.

"What do you want Sloan?" Mackenzie asked.

"I want to know why, on a beautiful Saturday afternoon, you are pouting in a nail salon instead of…well, whatever the hell it is you rich people do on the Upper East Side on the weekend?"

"We sip champagne and eat caviar and laugh at the poor, unwashed masses. Jesus Sloan! I am not in the mood for your endless meddling in my romantic life today. Give it a rest, would you?"

"I would, but for some reason there is a very loud, very guilt-ridden anchorman blowing up my phone. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you Kenz?"

"Maybe a little something" Mackenzie replied, hanging her head in shame.

"What did you do Mackenzie?"

"I was just so excited this morning. I thought for sure he would remember. He remembers _everything_, Sloan!"

"Yes, he does. He remembered your birthday and bought you a diamond tennis bracelet. He remembered the anniversary of your first kiss and he bought you ruby earrings. He remembered your _actual_ anniversary and he filled your fucking office with roses Mackenzie. Cut the man a little slack for not remembering the day he was unknowingly ambushed by the network with a new show and a new EP mere weeks after he attacked a college student with a profanity laced tirade!" Sloan shouted. "So, I repeat, what did you do Mackenzie?"

"I may have started shouting at him in the men's section of Saks Fifth Avenue about our lackluster weekend plans and what a jackass he is for not remembering one of the most important days of my life" she mumbled.

"And you hoped that would do what exactly? Inspire him to grand romantic gestures heretofore unknown?" Sloan asked sarcastically.

"You know what Sloan? When you've been with the same man for more than 15 minutes, then you can lecture me on relationship etiquette" Mackenzie snapped.

"Wow! That was a little harsh Kenz."

"I know it was…I'm sorry. I guess I'm just feeling a little insecure right now" Mackenzie replied. She almost picked up her freshly manicured hand to begin biting her nails, but Sloan slapped it back down.

"Ouch!"

"Sorry, but don't mess with perfection. Now, what the hell are you feeling insecure about Kenz?"

"Maybe he's not as invested in us as I thought he was."

"Good grief woman! He mooned over you for five years…after you cheated on him and ripped his heart out…your words not mine. And now you think, because he didn't want to celebrate the spilling of millions of gallons of crude into the Gulf of Mexico, that he's lost interest?! That he's ready to move onto the next E.P. that catches his eye?!"

"Yes?" Mackenzie said meekly.

"You really do need help. Ok, fine…just this once I am going to tell you how sickeningly in love with you Will McAvoy is. Did you know that he watches you wherever you go in the newsroom? The man's head follows your movements like you're the damn bouncing ball over song lyrics on the jumbotron at Madison Square Garden! And when you forget to eat lunch, he steals other people's snacks from the break room and brings them to you. And when he's in the studio and someone else starts talking into his earpiece, he cringes. The man actually looks like he's in pain. And then you start talking to him and he melts. He physically sinks into his chair. If he could purr, I think he would, but he just settles for this ridiculously goofy little grin that makes the rest of us nauseous!"

Sloan stopped her ranting and looked up at her friend, shocked to discover tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Is all that true?" Mackenzie whispered, more than a little awe-struck.

"Do you think I can make this shit up Kenz? I'm an economist not Dear Abby, though I am beginning to feel like a couples therapist."

Mackenzie popped up out of her chair, threw some money down on the manicurist's table, and grabbed her purse and coat.

"Thank you Sloan!" she shouted out, kissing her friend on the cheek, and rushing from the salon.

"You're welcome….you neurotic little twit" Sloan mumbled. "So, do you have time for another manicure?" she asked the nail technician, taking up her friend's vacant seat. Meantime, she pulled out her phone and dialed.

"You owe me William. She's on her way home right now and I am off-duty. Call someone else if she flees the apartment again" Sloan grumbled and hung up.

"You don't happen to have any wine back there do you?" Sloan asked the shop assistant scurrying back and forth between the front desk and the supply room.

"No ma'am" the young woman replied.

"Damn. I'm going to need to be slightly inebriated if I'm going to survive this day."

Still out of breath from her frantic run back home, Mackenzie tentatively opened the door to find Will sitting on the couch strumming away on his guitar and humming quietly. For the first time that day she gently set her things down and stopped to look at him…really look at him. He looked worried and tense and a little bit lost and….shit! She did that to him!

She plopped down next to him on the couch and let out a big sigh. He simply turned his face, smiled, and gave her a kiss on the cheek. He went back to playing a melody she had never heard before.

"Is this one of your original songs?" she asked.

"Just something I've been working on these last few months. I haven't gotten very far…haven't had much time to work on it."

Mac frowned at that, her insecurities coming to the surface. "Are you upset about that?"

He laughed and set his guitar down. "Of course I'm not upset. I have you with me every night and every weekend now. I don't need to fill all of those empty hours wallowing in self-pity and writing sad, lonely songs about how much I miss you. I don't know if I say it enough, and I know today I have totally blown it in the attentive boyfriend department, but I love you" he told her, kissing her cheek. "And your nails look nice" he said, glancing down at her hands in her lap.

Mac's eyes glistened with tears. "Well, you haven't completely blown it. You did notice that I got my nails done."

"That's what you take from my heart-felt speech? I noticed your nails?"

She leaned over and pulled him toward her for a kiss. "Is that a better response?"

"Much. I don't know about you, but that early morning wake-up call has me a bit tired. What do you say to a quick nap? It's rare we have a weekend without any major breaking news or some sort of charity obligation. Shall we indulge?" he asked.

"Getting me into bed within ten minutes of walking through the front door? You haven't lost your touch."

"Oh, how you know me."

"Watch yourself, those martinis have started to wear off Will. I'll take you up on your offer on one condition."

"I can't wait to hear this one."

"Sarcasm is the lowest form of intelligence and it doesn't befit a man of your stature."

"Seems fitting today, since you already think I am the dumbest man alive for not remembering the anniversary of a catastrophe. Lay it on me, sweetheart."

"You are taking me out to dinner tonight…my choice. You get to pick my dress if I get to pick your suit and tie."

"And this is different from any other night we go out to dinner?" he asked.

"Idiot."

"Yes, but I'm your idiot. And you love me anyway…don't you?" he asked, quietly.

"Of course you moron. Come on, let's go. We can get in a couple of hours of sleep before we need to start getting ready."

"You know I don't actually plan on sleeping, right Mackenzie?"

"I'm counting on that Billy."


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Notes: Sorry it took us so long to get this third and final chapter posted. Hope you have enjoyed our interpretation of Will, Mac and NewsNight's third anniversary. And if you are so inclined, send a little thank to my co-author writingalone. Thanks and enjoy!**

As Will watched Mackenzie agonize over which tie wouldn't clash with the absolutely perfect cocktail dress she just _had_ to wear because it would compliment his navy blue suit so well, he began to wonder what the hell he had been thinking when this crazy idea entered his head.

"You were thinking she is gorgeous and amazing and funny and brilliant and…._yours_. And you wanted to mark the occasion that she came back into your life" his brain told him, so loudly and with such clarity that he was certain Mackenzie and the housekeeper and maybe a few of their neighbors had heard it.

Right…that was _exactly_ the reason he had planned this freak show of an anniversary party. Now, if only he could get Mackenzie out of the closet and into the car, maybe they had a shot at showing up before it was all over.

"Mackenzie! It's dinner not the fucking inauguration! Can't we just, you know, wear what we have on now?" he asked. She looked at him like that was the most ridiculous question in the history of the world. He shrank back toward the bed and sat down, exasperated.

"What if I wear that light blue shirt you love with the yellow and blue tie and the cuff links your father gave me?" he asked, hoping this would be the end of the discussion. It wasn't. She walked out of the closet, five ties strung through her fingers, and glared at him.

"So you can look like a stodgy, old Republican banker?" she asked snidely.

"Right now, a stodgy, old Republican banker doesn't sound too bad…if it would get me out of this bedroom before midnight" he mumbled under his breath.

"What was that Will?"

"Nothing dear. And why, may I ask does a blue and yellow tie make me look like a Republican? If Bill Clinton wore one would _he_ look like a Republican?"

"No, but last time I checked you _were_ a Republican and you _weren't_ Bill Clinton. Why are you taking offense to my saying you look like a member of the G.O.P.? You were the one going on and on about how the Tea Party was destroying your beloved Republicans. Besides, that blue shirt looks like something you wore when you were in the Brooklyn D.A.'s office."

"I resent that remark. There is no way I could have afforded a two-hundred and fifty dollar Brooks Brother's shirt when I worked in the D.A.'s office."

Mackenzie continued to look through his tie rack until she found the perfect tie. It had various shades of navy, grey and blue stripes and she grasped it as though she had just found the Ark of the Covenant.

"Here you go, Billy. It will bring out the blue in your eyes, but it's still conservative enough for your stuffy Republican fashion sense" she declared happily.

"Trying to make me look like an elite northeastern prick again?" he asked, chuckling. He had heard the tales of her first day in the control room, and he liked reminding her that there was absolutely nothing that got by him…not where Mackenzie McHale was concerned.

"I believe I also said that it was sexy…just like the Kennedy brothers. Did you not want to be compared to a Democrat? Is that really the problem here Will?" she asked sweetly, pulling on her heels and securing a bracelet around her wrist.

"Generally speaking, no man finds a comparison to JFK all that insulting. Now, compare me to Dan Quayle and you'll really have a fight on your hands" he replied smirking. "Can we _please_ go now Mac?"

Mackenzie flipped up his collar and wrapped the tie around his neck, pulling him in closer for a kiss. Will tried to resist by gently squeezing her hips, usually their shared signal that now was not the time for a passionate embrace. They had learned the hard way that it was better to be caught backing away from each other subtly, rather than have an employee nearly collide with them while they were kissing in Will's office.

But, of course, the one time that he really needed her to stop, she wouldn't.

"Dinner Mackenzie?" he pleaded, as he pushed her away.

"You didn't even remember the damn anniversary this morning! Why are you so eager to leave the house now?" she asked a little breathless.

He gave her one last sweet, lazy kiss on the lips. "Because I am trying to make amends and I made us reservations at a place where, believe me, you will want to be on time" he said, then realized that he might be giving away the surprise.

"You don't want to miss the sunset" he hurriedly added, hoping she was buying this excuse.

"Will, we live on the twenty-seventh floor of a tower of glass. I _never_ miss the sunset" she chuckled against his lips.

Will took a step back to calm himself down and got back to work on his tie. He watched Mackenzie watch him. Ever since they had gotten back together, there were these moments, like now as he put on his coat and tie, that he would catch her staring at him as if trying to engrave the memory in her brain. It was a little sad, knowing that she was doing her best to make up for lost time…for all those years they had been apart and she wasn't here, with him, enjoying the minutiae of a life together.

"You look very handsome, for a Republican" she said softly, with a glimmer in her eyes.

"And you look stunning, for a naïve, socialist manifesto-bearing Democrat" he replied, kissing her quickly and patting her behind to get her to move out of the bedroom and toward the front door.

"I am not naïve. I'm just a relentless optimist" she spoke in a serious tone, grabbing his hand and pulling him with her. "Now, let's go."

He eagerly followed and soon they were bundled into the backseat of Lonny's SUV headed toward Chelsea.

"I thought we'd be going to Le Bernardin or Ai Fiori? Why are we headed toward the water?" she asked, truly confused.

"I wanted to try someplace different, Mac. We live in New York City and we go to the same five or six restaurants all the time. I thought variety was the spice of life?" he asked rhetorically.

"Says the man who used to eat a bacon, egg and cheese sandwich every fucking night before bed?" she chuckled.

"They were good. I miss them. I gave them up for you Mackenzie, you might try to appreciate my sense of adventure tonight."

"Adventure my ass. Couldn't get a reservation on such short notice, right Will?"

"I resent that remark. I can get a reservation in this town at a moment's notice" he said smugly.

"Because you're beloved by the service industry?" she asked, smirking.

"Hey, how did you know about that conversation?"

"I have ears everywhere William. Keep that in mind" she said seriously.

"Well, you don't know everything Mackenzie" he whispered with delight.

"Was that a dig? Were you referring to my lack of mathematical skills and economic knowledge? Because you might want to remember how deep of a hole you have already dug for yourself today Will."

"Do you two _ever_ shut up?!" Lonny piped up from the driver's seat.

"No!" they both shouted simultaneously.

"Just checking" the bodyguard replied.

"So Lonny, do you always remember _your_ anniversary?" Mackenzie asked sweetly, shooting Will a malevolent look.

"Which one? The first time I saw my wife, the first date, the first kiss, or the first time she sent me off to war?" he asked.

"What about the date you were drafted in the fifth round?" Will interjected. Lonny glared.

"I remember _that_ day, because it's the day I proposed. If you're smart, you'll follow this piece of advice McAvoy. Proposals, weddings…they should all happen on a day that already sticks out in your mind. You'll save yourself a lot of grief later. That's why I got married on the Fourth of July" he told Will through the rearview mirror.

"Wonderful! I have a bodyguard who can't remember the day he got married without the help of fireworks exploding in the sky! Are we there yet?" Will pleaded.

Mackenzie looked out at the water and wondered where in the hell they were going. "Will, why are we in Chelsea? And do you really intend to celebrate the gulf oil spill on the Hudson River? Are you trying to make a statement about New York's environmental policies?" she asked sarcastically.

"This was the only place a nobody like me could get reservations" he deadpanned. "Now, get your ass inside."

"Such a sweet talker tonight. I'm already swooning" she replied, following him. She pushed her way into the lighthouse at Pier Sixty and was more than a little unnerved by the darkness.

"Will, did you check to see if they were open before you dragged us down here?" she asked. But just then, the place was suddenly aglow in lights and people and shouting and she didn't know what to make of it.

"Surprise!" they all shouted. Only then did Mackenzie realize that the giant space was filled with co-workers and friends and a garish display of decorations.

"Happy Anniversary" Will whispered, right before the band starting playing _Happy Birthday_ and the crowd started cheering about _NewsNight's_ three glorious years.

"You _did_ remember?!" she shouted, more than a little astonished and also feeling a bit guilty for all that she had put him through today.

"Of course I remembered Mackenzie. How could I forget our _second_ first anniversary?" he asked her, as she hugged him with all her might.

As she looked over his shoulder, she spotted the decorations on the table. "Will, what in the hell is _that_?!"

Will turned around to see a gigantic chocolate fountain in the center of a table, with miniature duck and dolphin figurines floating in it. The poor things appeared to be drowning in a sea of the faux oil chocolate concoction.

"Sloan!" he shouted out over the din of the crowd.

"Yes" the financial analyst replied sweetly as she sidled up to the pair.

"What, in the name of God, is that monstrosity?!" he roared.

"You said you wanted an anniversary-slash-birthday party on the date of the oil spill. It's a theme party Will!" she shouted, as if that explained everything.

"What sort of theme? The end of the world as we know it?" he asked warily.

"Well, now that you mention it…" Sloan trailed off. And just at that moment, Will heard the band near the front of the room launch into the R.E.M. song of the same name. Mackenzie laughed…Will did not.

"Sloan, I love the green and yellow scheme. Would miniature oil rigs going up in flames have broken some sort of fire department regulation?" Mackenzie asked facetiously.

"Actually, yes. Believe me, I tried" Sloan responded, pouting slightly, and going off in search of a cocktail.

"Just how much of this soiree required Sloan's planning and negotiation skills?" Mackenzie asked doubtfully, waiting for Will to answer.

"Hey, I'm a national news figure, beloved by the masses. So sue me that I didn't have enough spare time on my hands to plan a party for 150 people" he said shrugging.

When the waitstaff discreetly began to direct guests toward their tables for dinner, Mackenzie shot Will a questioning glare.

"Drinks and appetizers _may_ have started a while ago" he told her, glancing down at his feet as he did so.

"I missed the cocktail hour at _my own party_?!" she asked harshly.

"Well, you were lamenting the lack of the perfect tie in my closet. What the hell was I supposed to do Mac? Drag you out by your hair?" Will asked as he guided her toward a table, where they joined Charlie, Leona, Sloan, Don and Maggie.

"Why is Leona Lansing here?" she whispered, as she cautiously checked her surroundings for any other unexpected guests.

"I was supposed to invite nearly all the staff at ACN and somehow manage to gracefully neglect the woman who is responsible for hiring or firing us?" he asked sarcastically.

"Well, at least I don't see Reese anywhere. Was he preoccupied tonight?"

"His invitation _may_ have gotten lost" Will mumbled.

"Or you gave him front row tickets to the Mets game?" Mackenzie asked.

"Oh, how you know me."

"Trying to butter him up? You know full well he hates all of us."

"Not all of us, Mac. Just you and me" he reassured her, pulling out her chair.

"Well, that's comforting. On that note…where the hell is my drink?" she asked. Just then, a martini with a tiny yellow and green flag stabbed through a few olives, appeared before her.

"Sloan" they both replied in unison, looking at their BP festooned drinks and table settings.

Sloan was practically shaking with excitement, waiting to see Mackenzie's reaction to the BP colors displayed all over the table and within their cocktails.

"What do you think? It's great, right? When Will told me about this anniversary party, my first thought was classic, streamlined black-tie. Then I thought…" Sloan chattered until she was unceremoniously interrupted.

"I can't imagine what you thought" Will mumbled under his breath, and the table laughed.

"Excuse me, Will. As I was saying, I thought to myself, why not throw caution to the wind? If it hadn't been for that oil spill and you two throwing out the rundown, this whole team never would have come together! And I happen to think this is much more festive than traditional black and white!" Sloan announced gleefully.

"Well, I for one love it!" Charlie cheered, wearing a suit with a green and yellow bow tie. He had obviously gotten the BP corporate color theme memo.

"Here, here!" Leona chimed in, raising her glass. They all clinked their glasses together and waited for dinner to arrive.

"Will, please tell me this whole thing isn't going to be a theme? We're not going to be eating roast pelican or something, are we?" Mackenzie asked him, watching with fear as plates were being set down at tables all around them. It was just then that she noticed the napkins were folded in the shape of said pelicans.

"Oh good God, did you have _any_ input in this thing? You didn't let Sloan roam free with your credit card, did you?" Mackenzie asked, looking around in shock. She was tremendously relieved when a very theme-free salad was set before her, followed by a filet and lobster ravioli with fresh vegetables. Both she and Will let out a breath they didn't realize they had been holding in. They turned to each other and laughed.

"What are you two chortling at over there?" Sloan asked around a mouthful of food.

"You" they replied simultaneously.

"We feared filet of Tony Hayward might be on the menu" Mackenzie told her friend.

"Is it my fault I like a good theme party? God, see if I offer to help when you need a wedding planner!" Sloan huffed. Just then, flaming crème brulees were set in front of them for dessert, and Sloan smiled proudly at her idea.

"Very disaster themed Sloan. Were you hoping someone would set Don on fire?" Mackenzie asked.

"I'm right here you know?" Don said, loudly clearing his throat.

"So am I" Maggie reminded them meekly. Nobody noticed.

"I'm sorry" Mackenzie said quietly a few minutes later, as she cuddled up against Will's side watching as many of their co-workers headed for the dance floor.

"I'm not sure I am accepting your apology at the moment" he said haughtily, though he knew full well he had no defenses against her. He never had.

"Would you dance with me?" she asked sweetly. "I don't want to miss a chance to dance with you on our disaster-themed anniversary."

"Was that a dig at my dancing skills? Because I'll have you know, those tap dancing lessons paid off. I am an amazing dancer!" he declared, pulling her out of her chair and into his arms for a dance. She laughed into his shoulder.

"Would you like me to request a song from the 1920's so you can show off your flapper skills then? Or maybe something from a musical theater production to make you feel more at home?" Mac responded helpfully.

"Hey! Weren't you trying to apologize to me just a moment ago for your lack of trust in my ability to commemorate an important moment in our relationship? Now you've moved on to digs about my age and my musical preferences? Pick one Mac…are we fighting or are we making up?" he said in a hoarse whisper into her ear, still trying to sway to the music, despite the barbed comments he was receiving.

"Can anyone ever tell the difference?" she asked rhetorically.

"Is that really how you view our relationship Mac?"

"An oil rig exploding with flames one hundred feet into the air? At times, yes" she told him honestly. She had always thought that was the beauty of their relationship…the arguments were loud and raucous and just as fun as the making up.

"This is the part where you tell me you're speaking metaphorically, right?" Will asked. "Our love is like fossil fuel…burning bright and then…" but Mackenzie cut him off.

"Polluting the atmosphere with carbon dioxide?"

"Mackenzie!" he shouted.

"What Will?" They both stopped dancing and looked at each other waiting for whatever came next. Would it be another sharply crafted gibe or whispered words of love? Neither of them ever really knew.

"Jesus! First I start off the day in deep shit with you because I have to _pretend_ that I forgot our anniversary, which isn't even our _actual_ anniversary, by the way. Now, when you find out I didn't forget it, in fact quite the opposite, you're what? Disappointed?" he asked, pulling her over to the corner of the room, since their lack of actual dancing on the dance floor was beginning to attract attention.

"I'm not disappointed Will! I'm just beginning to wonder if _this_ is how you see us?" she asked, sweeping her arm around the room at the disaster themed soiree. "Is this how _everybody_ sees us? Are we just a disaster waiting to happen?" she asked tearfully.

He reached up and wiped one of her tears away. "Mackenzie, do you remember the first broadcast? How everyone wondered how we were going to pull off an hour long newscast with no run down and no script?"

"Yes" she sniffled.

"You and I both knew in that moment that the broadcast was going to go off without a hitch, right? And that it wasn't going to be a disaster?"

She just nodded.

"That's what this anniversary is about Mac. How you came in and managed to turn this ship around, and three years later, we have destroyed Nancy Grace and the rest of our competition. Besides, you and I didn't create any disasters until our _second_ broadcast, and there is no way in hell I am throwing a party in honor of the Sweedishians" he told her.

"So, you owe me one, is that what you're saying?" she asked cheekily. He laughed.

"Yes Mackenzie. I owe you one and you never let me forget it. Would you like to say any moving words in remembrance of our three years together?" he asked.

"Thank you for not firing me at the end of every week" she mumbled under her breath.

"You're welcome" he said, kissing her forehead and pulling her close again.

"Do you think Sloan would notice if we left early?" she asked him.

"I don't think Sloan would notice a two-hundred point drop in the market at the moment" he replied, directing Mackenzie's attention across the room, where Sloan was dancing by herself while holding two martinis in her hands.

Just then, the music changed to Eric Clapton's _Wonderful Tonight_ and Will pulled her back onto the dance floor for one last twirl.

"Hey, they're playing our song" he reminded her.

Mackenzie pressed herself as tightly against his body as she could. "Will, why do you always call this our song?" she whispered into his ear.

He squeezed her and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Because, when I first saw you at a corporate function more than seven years ago, this song was playing in the background."

She pulled back and softly kissed him on the lips, then put her head down on his shoulder. "I should have known you wouldn't have forgotten today's date."

"What was that Mac?" Will asked, goading her.

"Don't be a jackass on our anniversary. I said, I should have known you wouldn't have forgotten today's date. You never forget anything about us. You've always had this way of doing things" she remembered wistfully.

"Only where you're concerned Mackenzie. Only with you."

"Good answer Billy…now take me home."

"Wait, before we go" Will remembered, walking her back to their table. "Leona left these for us. She said to read them over and sign them."

He pulled the documents out of a manila envelope and held them out toward her.

"New contracts?" she asked, shocked.

"Yeah, now sign quickly, before she starts sobering up and isn't quite so friendly" he told her. Mackenzie did as she was told and watched as he pulled another envelope out of his suit coat.

"What's that?"

"Our old contracts. Would you like to do the honors?" he asked, as he held up those damn vindictive, petty words he had inserted into legal documents years ago. He led her outside onto the pier and held out the papers and a lighter.

As they watched the ashes of those blasted papers blow away into the Hudson River, he turned to her and offered her his arm and said "my darling, you were wonderful tonight."

_It's time to go home now  
And I've got an aching head  
So I give her the car keys and she helps me to bed  
And then I tell her, as I turn out the light  
I say my darling, you are wonderful tonight  
~Eric Clapton, Wonderful Tonight_

**The End.**


End file.
